"This Is War" Chorus Drum Beat (Shannon Leto: 30 Seconds To Mars) - Free Drum Lesson

Submitted by DrumAce on Thu, 07/07/2011 - 07:10

In this free drum lesson I'll be showing you how to play the quarter note chorus drum groove from the song "This Is War" by 30 Seconds To Mars.

There's no doubting Shannon Leto's ability behind the drums. The man continues to come up with unique and interesting grooves for us all to enjoy. This drum beat is no exception.

"This Is War" Chorus Drum Beat (30 Seconds To Mars)

Drum Beat Notation

Shannon's right hand is playing quarter notes on the crash cymbal throughout both bars of this two bar drum beat.

There are 2 three notes snare and bass drum patterns to look out for. The first three note pattern is played snare, bass, bass and is played with the right hand, as seen on beat 1 of both bars. The second three note pattern is played starting in between the right hand, as seen on the + of beat 2 for both bars. By learning these two parts individually, you should be able to then put them together into one smooth pattern.

The first bar ends with three snare drum notes played in a row, starting on beat 4. The second bar ends with snare, bass, snare, also starting on beat 4.

If you're finding the syncopation between the right hand and bass/snare too hard then you can simply play eighth notes on the crash cymbal instead. It won't sound the same but it will at least give you a chance to learn this groove.

Good luck and happy drumming!